Crafting with Nora

Fun and inspo blog

[craftingwithnora]

Photography with Nora

Photography is a favorite hobby of mine and I’ve even considered it as a career possibility. My craft is photo journalism.

When I take a photo I do my best to capture the raw emotion of the subject and show a little slice of their life. My goal is for the viewer to want to learn more about the subject’s story.

Below are photos I took during an afternoon in downtown St Paul. I hope the they make you want to talk to the people I captured!

[craftingwithnora]

Chalking with Nora

Spring makes me so happy, I feel like a little kid again! I love to pull out my sidewalk chalk and create some outdoor art!

I love the burst of color on my driveway and I hope it brightens people’s day as they walk by the house!

For some true chalking inspo, check out these photos from Chalk Fest! I wish I knew the artists’ names to credit them for their amazing work at this super fun event in La Crescent, Minnesota. This year will be the fifth annual event!

[craftingwithnora]

Invitations with Nora

More on my grad party… I don’t like to do anything standard, so instead of the typical photo invites, I wanted my invitations to be a work of art that truly sets the stage for my party!

I incorporated the feel of the event, my precious pets, and of course ME wearing my party dress!

I worked with a company called Momental Designs to bring my vision to life. One fun thing that you can’t see here is they actually add hand painted touches to each individual invitation to give it dimension and create a total custom feel.

What do you think?

(Address removed for privacy)

[craftingwithnora]

Party planning with Nora

Right now my favorite project is planning my grad party! There is going to be a lot of crafting going into this!

From the cake, to the painted macaroons, to the photo backdrop, I am creating an experience that’s a work of art.

My party is still two months away, but I have been busy with my inspiration binder for months. I’ve created a section for each part of my party with all my ideas included.

Check out some of my inspo for a taste of what’s in store!

What are your favorite crafty things you’ve seen at grad parties?

[craftingwithnora]

Blooming art with Nora

There have been some amazing floral art exhibits in the Twin Cities lately! Although these aren’t my crafts, I really wanted to share this delightful inspiration!

Art in Bloom at Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Art in Bloom featured individual floral art pieces made by a variety of local florists. They were scattered throughout the museum for viewing.

Floral Experience at Galleria

The Floral Experience transformed the mall into a candy-themed immersion of flowers from Bachman’s. The scale of the gorgeous displays was impressive!

Spring Flower Show at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

The Spring Flower Show brought in works from a variety of artists. I enjoyed the variety of styles and types of displays. I especially loved the dress made 100% from birch bark, including the flowers!

I feel so blessed to live in a community with a vibrant art scene. I took away so many ideas - and I am ready for spring to arrive! Stay tuned for some of my own floral art soon!

[craftingwithnora]

Earrings with Nora

I’ve been making earrings again lately after a break over the past few months. Earrings have been one of my passion projects and I especially like to make them for friends.

As you can see from the photos below, I like to explore with a variety of designs. Sometimes I buy kits that come with all the materials needed and sometimes I start from scratch using metal and crystals.

I was so touched recently when my friend Micaela told me she was excited to wear the earrings I made for her pageant interviews because she gets to bring a little piece of me with her into the interview room. That means a lot! The first picture below of the blue earrings are hers.

[craftingwithnora]

Egg dying with Nora

I love the tradition of dying Easter eggs with my family. It takes me back to childhood!

We use the traditional kits with the dye tablets in vinegar to color our eggs. But I also like to try some more creative approaches to give my eggs a little extra flair!

This year I used a paint brush with food dye to give a special touch to a few of my eggs. It is not the easiest to work with, but it was fun to try.

How do you like to get creative with your Easter eggs?

[craftingwithnora]

Pottery painting with Nora

Pottery painting is always a fun crafting activity to do with a group! Today my friends Emily and Savannah joined me at Color Me Mine for some painting and laughs. In the spirit of Easter I chose to paint an adorable bunny embellished with flowers. Isn’t she cute?

I chose spring colors because that’s my current mood and she will be perfect decor for future Easters. She’s hollow with little holes so I can put a light inside, which will bring such a fun effect to any room!

A few tips for pottery painting:

- Take your time. Part of the fun is the process and your pottery will turn out better if you pay attention to detail.

- Always paint multiple coats. Once it is fired the colors will be lighter than expected and you don’t want to see brush strokes.

- Wear old clothes. Emily and I both got paint on our sweatshirts today. Boo!!!

Happy painting!

[craftingwithnora]

Intro with Nora

Hello!!!! Welcome to Crafting with Nora! I’m creating this little corner of the world as a place to share some of my crafting projects. This won’t be a tutorial blog, rather a way to provide inspiration and spark conversation.

Craft projects I love include knitting, jewelry making, cake decorating, scrap booking and more. I always have some type of crafting going on! Follow along to see what I’m up to and hopefully I can give you some ideas for your next project!